“I just finished work and happened to see the herbal tea stall right here outside the complex,” shared a sanitation worker with a smile. “The cup of tea totally cooled me down and quenched my thirst. The stall is a lifesaver for us who work outside in the summer heat.” With the arrival of the recent heatwave, the herbal tea stall outside the entrance of the Jingduyuan Residential Complex has become a cherished haven for residents, delivery people, and sanitation workers. It opens at 7:30 a.m. every day.

Hangzhou boasts over a hundred herbal tea stalls, some with legacies stretching back for decades. The stall at Jingduyuan joined the scene in August 2020. In the past five years, it has become a welcome refuge for those seeking cool relief from summer’s scorching heat. The stall operates from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The herbal teas, featuring a selection of ingredients like black plum, jujube, hawthorn, tangerine peel, licorice, cardamom, rose, chrysanthemum, and the city’s iconic Longjing tea, are prepared by dedicated volunteers like Ms. Xu with love and care

“We go through more than ten thermoses of hot water and serve hundreds of cups a day,” Ms. Xu beams.